Casing slip for drilling apparatus



M 22, 1.924. L5GL962 G. A. MONTGOMERY I CASING SLIP FOR DRILLING APPARATUS Filed April 10 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 22, 1924. 1,501,962

G. A. MONTGOMERY CASING SLIP FOR DRILLING APPARATUS Filed April 10. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 22, 1924.

entree stares eus'rnvus A. MONTGOMERY, or 'rIrusvIfLE, PENNSYLVANIA, AssroNoR, To THUS.

mnronen 00., or TITUSVILLE, rENNsYLvANraA CORPORATION or may- LAND.

CASING;- SLIP FO'R DRILLING APPARATUS.

Application filed. April 10, 1923. Serial No. 631,236.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, YG'USTAV'US A. MONT- GOMERY, a citizen of the Republic of Finland, residing in Titusville, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Casing Slips for Drilling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the pipe or casing slips employed in connection with drilling apparatus.

Its chief object is to provide a. novel slip of this character which is universally applicable to various diameters of casings.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sectional casing slip in which its sectors are adjustable relatively to one another and readily connected and disconnected to accommodate casings of different sizes.

A.- further object is'to provide the slip with improved means for preventing the casing from rotating therein and thereby eliminate undue wear or damage to the casing.

A still further object of the invention is to provide the casing slip with novel means, in addition to the means for detachably connecting the slip sectors with one another, for holding the latter[ as a unit, should said connecting means become accidentally broken while the slip is in use.

With the above and other objects in View the invention consists in the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts I hereinafter referred to, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention showing the same seated in position in the customary supporting spider. Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof. Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section on line 3-3, Fig. 2. Figure 4 is an inside face view of one of the halves of the casing slip. Figures 5, 6, and 7 are horizontal sections on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 4:. Figure 8 is a perspective view of one of the slip sectors. Figure 9 is a plan view of one of the halves of the slip showing a modified form of handle construction.-

Similar characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the preferred embodiment of the in vention, the same is shown ascomprising a pair of slip units A, B, although it will be understood that any number of such units -may be employed to suit difi'erent conditions.

.one another by vertical hinge pintles or bolts raiser:

14 to form a flexible and substantially continuous, semi-circular gripping facejfor engaging one side of the casing. These sectors are of uniform shape, each being preferably U-shaped in cross-section to provide two relatively narrow win s or bearing faces 15, 15 for contact withthe spider opening 10 and a single inner bearing face 16 for engagement with the easing. Said outer bearing faces are tapered, as shown 1n F1gs. 1 and 4, to conform to the conical spider opening. The inner gripping faces of the sectors are provided with threads or wickers 17- to prevent the casing from sli ping downwardly relatively thereto, t e threads on the several sectors being alternately' right and left, as shown in Fig. 4. The purpose of this arrangement is to prevent the casing from rotating in the slip and to eliminate the formation of objectionable grooves, produced by the customary horizontal threads heretofore employed, as a result of the rotation of the casing in its slip. To further guard against such rotation, one or more of the sectors of each slip unit may be provided with vertical threads or wickers 18.

To prevent the casing 12 and its slip from turning bodily within the spider, one of the exterior bearing faces of each sector 13 is preferably provided with vertical threads or wickers 19 which reliably grip the spider opening 10,, thus producing a non-rotatable connection from the casing to the spider.

The preferred hinge connection employed for joining the sectors to form a universal flexible slip unit, whereby the sectors may be readily attached and removed in order that the slip may be enlarged or reduced in size to fit casings of various diameters, is constructed as follows:

grooves,

The opposite radial or lateral sides of each sector 13 are provided with semi-circular pintle-receiving grooves 20 which extend substantially from top to bottom of said sector. The upper and lower ends of these grooves terminate in counterbored, semi-circular recesses 21 in the bottoms of which are formed correspondingly-shaped ribs or tongues 22 encircling the pintleas clearly shown in Fig. 8. Intermediate-the ends thereof, the sides of the sector are also provided with substantially horizontal races or recesses 23 which intersect the grooves 20. The hinge pintles M are disposed between the grooves of ad- 'oining slip sectors and their ends extend into the recesses 21, as shown in Fig. 3. Applied to the threaded ends of each pintle and located within said recesses 21 are upper and lower nuts 24, 25 which are provided in their inner faces with annular grooves 26 adapted to engage the complemental tongues 22 of the adjoining sectors. These nuts serve to connect the sectors against pulling apart circumferentially and also to hold them in vertical alinement at all times, the lower nut 25 may be pinned or otherwise permanently connected to the hinge pintle while the upper nut 2a is removably locked in position by a cotter pin 27 or other appropriate fastening.

It will benoted that the ends of the hinge pintles and their nuts are disposed below the upper and lower ends of the slip, so that the latter is free from any surface projections liable to become broken, all parts of the hinge joint being confined within the dimensional height of the slip.

In order to further insure proper verticalalinement of the slip sectors, a shear ring 30 is applied to each hinge pintle and is seated in the opposing horizontal recesses 23 formed in the contiguous sides of adjoining sectors, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. This ring is fitted'closely in its recesses to withstand all vertical stresses' imposed on the slip sectors, so as to remove any strain on the threads of the hinge pintle and nuts. Tn this connection, it might be stated that a very slight clearance is provided between the nuts 24;, 25 and the bottoms of the corresponding recesses 21 so that the hinge pintle is permitted a slight vertical movement relative to the slip sectors and is therefore free from all vertical stresses.

As shown in Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 7, the lateral sides of the slip sectors 13 are preferably beveled or inclined in opposite directions, as

shown at 31, 32, from the axis of the hinge pintles to the corresponding inner and outer faces of said sectors, to permit a limited adjustment of the latter relatively to one another about the pintles as a fulcrum.

By jointing and constructing the sectors in this manner, a self-contained, flexible slip neoneea unit is roduced which is capable of expanding an contracting to adapt its gripping face to receive casings of various diameters within a certain range. F or adapting the slip to different sized casings not within this range, it is only necessary to insert orsremove one or more of the sectors for making a complete or nearly complete circle of slips, depending on whether the diameter of the casing is large or small.

For the urpose of obtaining a partial circumferential adjustment of the slips and maintaining it in such adjusted position for use in connection with a casing of a given size, horizontal adjusting screws 33 are preferably employed. One of these screws is mounted in each sector and is adapted to abut against the opposing lateral face of the adjacent sector, as best shown in Fig. 6. In adjusting a slip of a given number of sectors to accommodate the largest diameter of casing it will receive, the set screws 33 are retracted so that they do not extend beyond the lateral faces of the respective sectors. In adjusting the same slip to accommodate a smaller casing, the screws are projected more or less in an obvious manner until the desired size is attained. By this arrangement, the slip is prevented from straightening out beyond its adjusted size, thereby facilitating the insertion and removal of the same to and from the spider 11.

To facilitate the handling of the slips at the well, each slip unit is provided with a detachable bail or handle 34: having flexible attaching legs 35 arranged to enter com panion openings 36 formed in the upper ends of the slipsectors. As shown in Figs. 1 and 8, both wings 15 of each sector are provided with such openings, so that the handle may be re-located at the well should the slips be changed in size by inserting or removin one or more of the sectors.

To sa eguard against accident and retain the sectors of the slip together as a unit should any one of the hinge joints become broken, a substantially semi-circular retaine ing member 37 is employed. The latter may be in the form of a cable which engages horizontal openings 38 located in the wings 15 of the several sectors, the ends of said cable being removably anchored or fixed to the end sectors of the slip by set screws 39, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7. Said openings 38 are of .sufiicient size to allow the cable to pass freely through them and each sector is preferably provided with both vertical and horizontal holes 40, 41 adapted to receive the set screws 39. By this construction and arrangement, a universally adaptable retaining member is provided which serves to hold those sectors, whose hinge connections have become broken, suspended from the remainder of the slip,-

thereby preventing loss of such sectors into the well hole. While afi'ording this advantage, the cable does not interfere with the relative adjustment of the slip sectors.

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 9, the retaining cable 42 terminates in a handle 43, thus dispenslng with the separate handle 34 previously described. This is accomplished by looping the central portion of the cable around the opposing wings 15 of the inner sectors. In this case, the free ends of the cable may be reliably fastened by set screws 44: to both wings of the end sectors ofthe $111).

By constructing and shaping the sectors 13, as shown, a slip is provided wh1ch 1s strong and durable, yet light and eas ly handled, each slip having a three point contact between the spider and the casing regardless of the depth to which the slip is forced into the spider by the weight of the pipe. That portion of each sector containing the inner bearing face 16 is of such thickness as to render the sector slightly flexible, enabling the wing bearing faces 15 to be in perfect contact with the spider.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a casin slip which s composed of a plurality of inged sectors, so jointed that they may be readily connected and disconnected from one another to adapt the slip to casings of various diameters, it being only necessary to have one set of such sectors for all sizes of casings, thereby reducing the expense of this type of equipment to a mmlmum.

I claim as my invention:

1. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of separate slip units, each unit including a plurality of sectors, and means for hingedly connecting the sectors of each unitto one another and limiting them to pivotal movement about the axes of said hinge means.

2. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of sectors, hinge members located between adjacent sectors, and means for detachably connecting the sectors to said hinge members.

3. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of sectors, and hinge members located between adjacent sectors, said hinge members and the adjoining faces of said sectors having complementary locking devices for detachably connecting the sectors to one another.

4:- A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of sectors, hinge members located between adjacent sectors, and retaining devices applied to said hin e members and arranged to interlock wit adjoining sectors.

5. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of sectors,

hinge members located between adjacentsectors, and retaining devices applied to the ends of said hinge members and arranged to interlock with adjoining sectors, one of said retaining devices being fixed to its hinge member and the other being removable therefrom.

6. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of sectors provided in their opposite sides with substantially semi-circular grooves terminating at their ends in oppositely-facing sockets, hinge members arranged in the grooves of adjoining sectors, and retaining devices applied to the ends of said hinge members and arranged in said sockets, the opposing faces of the latter and said retaining devices being provided with complementary interlocking portions for preventing displacement of the sectors relatively to one another. j

7. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of sectors provided in their opposite sides with substantially semi-circular grooves terminating at their ends in oppositely-facing sockets, the bottoms of said sockets being provided with correspondingly-shaped tongues, hinge pintles arranged in the grooves of adjoin-- ing sectors and extending into said sockets,

and retaining nuts applied to the ends of/ said pintles and arranged in said sockets, said nuts having annular grooves adapted to engage the tongues in said sockets.

8. A casing slip of the character described comprising a plurality of sectors, means for hingedly connecting said sectors to one another, and means applied to said hinge means and engaging adjoining sectors for preventing relative vertical displacement be tween said sectors.

9. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of sectors, hinge pintles located between adjoining sectors, the opposing faces of said sectors having recesses intermediate. their ends, and a' shear ring applied to each of said pintles and engaging the recesses of adjoining sectors.

10. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of circum ferentially arranged sectors having their inner faces provided with screw threads forming gripping teeth, the threads on said sectors being alternately ri ht and left hand;

11. A casing slip of t e character described, comprising a plurality of circum-' ferentially arranged sectors having their interior and exterior faces provided with gripping teeth. a

12. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged sectors, each sector being substantially U-shaped in cross section to form an inner gripping face and two spaced outer bearing faces.

13. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged sectors, each sector being substantially U-shaped in cross section to form an inner gripping face and two spaced outer bearing faces, one of said outer bearing faces being provided with gripping teeth.

14. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality oi sectors, means for hingedly connecting said sectors to one another and limiting them to pivotal movement about the axes of said hinge means, and means for adjusting said sectors about their axes and relative to one another for adapting the slip to casings of difierent diameters.

15. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of sectors, means for hingedly connecting said sectors to one another, and an adjusting screw mounted on each sector and arranged to abut against the opposing face of the adjoining sector.

menace 16. A casing slip of the character de scribed, comprising a plurality of jointed sectors, and a separate retaining member engaging each of said sectors and attached at its ends to the end sectors of the slip.

17. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of jointed sectors, having transverse openings therein, a flexible retaining member engaging said sector-openings for holding the sectors together as a unit under abnormal conditions, and means for securing the ends of said retaining members to the corresponding end sectors of the slip.

18. A casing slip of the character described, comprising a plurality of jointed sectors, and a flexible retaining member engaging each. of said sectors and attached at its ends to the end sectors of the slip, a portion of said member intermediate its ends being in the form of a loop and constituting a handle for the slip.

GUSTAVUS A. MUNTGUMERY. 

